So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those who remained [with the evildoers].(83)
Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 83 (7:83)
ٱلْأَعْرَاف
فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ
Quran 7:83 is ayah 83 of Surah Al-A'raf (“The Heights”), a Meccan surah of 206 ayahs. It is in Juz 8, on page 161 of the Madani Mushaf.
- Juz 8
- Hizb 16
- Page 161
- Ruku 10
- Revealed Mecca
Word by word
- فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُfa-anjaynāhuSo We saved him
- وَأَهْلَهُۥٓwa-ahlahuand his family
- إِلَّاillāexcept
- ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥim'ra-atahuhis wife
- كَانَتْkānatshe was
- مِنَminaof
- ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَl-ghābirīnathose who stayed behind
Tafsir (commentary) of 7:83
Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.
This commentary explains ayahs 7:83–84 together.
Allah says, We saved Lut and his family, for only his household believed in him.
Allah said in another Ayah,
فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَن كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
(So We brought out from therein the believers. But We found not there any household of the Muslims except one of Lut and his daughters) 51: 35-36. Only his wife (from his family) did not believe, remaining on the religion of her people. She used to conspire with them against Lut and inform them of who came to visit him, using certain signals that they agreed on. This is why when Lut was commanded to leave by night with his family, he was ordered not to inform his wife or take her with him. Some said that she followed them, and when the torment struck her people, she looked back and suffered the same punishment as them. However, it appears that she did not leave the town and that Lut did not tell her that they would depart. So she remained with her people, as apparent from Allah's statement,
إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَـبِرِينَ
(except his wife; she was of the Ghabirin) meaning, of those who remained, or they say: of those who were destroyed, and this is the more obvious explanation. Allah's statement,
وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّطَرًا
(And We rained down on them a rain) is explained by His other statement,
وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنْضُودٍ
مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبّكَ وَمَا هِى مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ-
(And rained on them stones of baked clay, in a well-arranged manner one after another. Marked from your Lord; and they are not ever far from the wrongdoers.) 11:82-83. Allah said here,
فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
(Then see what was the end of the criminals. ) This Ayah means: `See, O Muhammad, the end of those who dared to disobey Allah and reject His Messengers.' Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, all recorded a Hadith from Ibn `Abbas who said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said;
«مَنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ فَاقْتُلُوا الْفَاعِلَ وَالْمَفْعُول بِه»
(Whoever is found doing the act of the people of Lut, then kill them; the doer and the one it is done to.)